Lego built an empire based on interchangeable parts that snap together. Jeremy Mayer just built some sculptures, but his come from parts that weren't made to fit together — at least not the way he assembles them.
Mayer calls it "assemblage," or "cold assembly" — there's no glue or solder, welding or epoxy in his sculptures, which recall robots and mechanical animals. Instead, he uses pins, set screws, springs, rods, rubber pieces, and anything else he can scavenge from the typewriter carcasses scattered about his West Oakland studio.
Mostly, the little room beneath a loft in an old warehouse is littered with disassembled parts, and a couple sculptures under construction. One of Mayer's works in progress, the torso of an old man with partially completed legs and no head or arms hangs under shelves full of old typewriter cases. The cases themselves, says Mayer, are full of parts, organized by size and shape.
"Since I was a kid, I took all my toys apart," says Mayer. "My mom had [a typewriter] and I always wanted to take it apart, but she would have killed me."
He's been at this for 18 years, dating back almost to when typewriters were used for typing. Now, he finds them at flea markets, thrift stores, and yard sales, each one like an old, DIY Erector Set.
All photos: Ariel Zambelich/Wired 
